'He was trying to breathe on his own': Mom gives birth to baby under 1 pound

ABOVE: 'Preemie baby' receives care in Iowa hospital after being born under 1 pound, four months early
(Warning: Sensitive content. Discretion advised.)

Jaden Wesley was supposed to be born in November. Instead, he arrived four months early on July 11, weighing in at only 13 ounces — well below the 120 ounces of an average newborn.

According to Today Parents, his mom, Ellonn Smartt, knew something was wrong when her water broke at 23 weeks pregnant. But as a mother to one already — a three-year-old named Elijah — she knew staying calm was her best defence.

“I knew if I panicked, the baby would pick up on that and get stressed,” she recounted. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

Smartt, 25, said she was “heartbroken” when she was told by her Methodist Medical Center doctor that the situation was serious.